


Four have always been better than two

by WolfFromMars



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Discussion of pedo, Fantasy AU, Fencing, Multi, Sibling Incest, Translation, Well not racism but close, alternative universe, heavily inspired by another royalstuck with the same pairing, kingdom of prospit and kingdom of derse, royalstuck, slight racism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2019-09-27 10:45:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17160563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfFromMars/pseuds/WolfFromMars
Summary: The kingdoms of Prospit and Derse had been blessed with two pairs of twins, one in each kingdom, boy and girl.Although this opened the possibility of a double arranged marriage to unite the two, the kings and queens were against this idea, due to the prejudice deep in every villager’s mind.Be it so that the Dersitians practiced the dark majjyks and were in contact with evil spirits or that the Prospitians were bright enough to sow the land and nothing else.Some had a bit a truth in them, to be fair.Or the story of four heirs that find themselves involved in a conflict due to matters of the heart.(And if you’re interested in an English version... You’re here. The Spanish version has been around for a while now)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Cuatro siempre han sido mejor que dos](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7922428) by [WolfFromMars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfFromMars/pseuds/WolfFromMars). 



> Yes, to those people who asked for a translation... Here it is.  
> “Dude don’t you have like so many other unfinished projects?”  
> Yes. Yes I do.

The kingdoms of Prospit and Derse had been blessed with two pairs of twins, one in each kingdom, boy and girl.

  
Although this opened the possibility of a double arranged marriage to unite the two, the kings and queens were against this idea, due to the prejudice deep in every villager’s mind.

  
Be it so that the Dersitians practiced the dark majjyks and were in contact with evil spirits or that the Prospitians were bright enough to sow the land and nothing else.

  
Some had a bit a truth in them, to be fair.

  
Prospit was a sun-kissed land, populated by open hearted people with dark skin from working under the star for so long.

Derse on the other hand, had its main citadel in the deep forest, with stark white marble edifications that paired with its people looks.

  
However, the two kingdoms had a thing in common. They did not approve of incestuous practices.

  
Princess Jade and prince John liked to play in every single hallway of the castle, driving its inhabitants crazy.

  
When they grew out of the nursery, they both insisted in sleeping in the same bedroom and they didn’t understand how yesterday their shared naps had caused “oohs” and “aahs” among their caretakers and now they couldn’t even held hands without quiet remarks about the “decorum”.

  
Screw the decorum, had said Jade, which didn’t gain them sympathisers.

  
John did listen to their father’s advice about his duty, however not every single ounce of duty and decorum could keep the siblings apart.

  
Finally, the adults gave in to the children’s desires.

  
Meanwhile, in Derse, the siblings knew they’d be split apart no matter what, so they fixed the issue in a Dersitian way. Which is to say, with secrets and plots.

  
They would watch the other train from the proper distance, congratulating them when it was over and that was all the public saw.

  
Afterwards, who can say if one guard was bribed to overlook the young princes disappearing into the woods at night or how there was a secret passage between the two bedrooms that the children used almost daily.

  
Those were just rumours from the palace and they could never be proved, something their parents were incredibly proud about.

 

* * *

 

  
As years went by, the children couldn’t help but hear some _things_.

  
Things they’d share with their sibling at night, wrapped in soft silk.

  
It was a matter of time before they tried _experimenting_ them.

  
Clumsy lips and innecessary headbumps that ended in giggles after the kisses, wondering if they were doing _right_.

  
Rose made a diagram for the trouble, her sources being the washerwomen that said that closing your eyes wasn’t necessary but added a little something magical to it. Both children thought it was stupid.

  
(Jade was responsible for most of the headbumps)

  
With age, they became eligible for marriage. And their parents said it was about time they started “socializing” with kids their age.

  
Yes, they said, kids their age that are not your sibling.

  
After the children’s negative (and it was about time they stopped calling them children, they were quite grown now), the situation became unbearable pretty fast.

  
And all hell broke loose when their parents found out about their little experiments.

  
The scandal had to be shut down before it reached the townsfolk people and they could never look at their beloved regents without looks of disgust and prejudice. 

Desperate times call for desperate measures, thought the king and queen, and they found the same predicament in the neighbour kingdom.

  
Treaties were signed as fast as the messengers could carry them, not really looking into the clausures, in fear of their dark secret being found out, and so Dave parted to Prospit and John to Derse.

  
Rebellions were had in both houses, be it tantrums, oaths of revenge and badly disguised threats of cursing the aggravator.  
But finally, both princes set out to their destiny.


	2. From the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every kid grows and must be prepared to face their future

There was an agreed stop, the middle-ground between the two kingdoms, so both princes could meet their simile.

 

Probably agreed upon so it felt like a punch in the gut for both of them.

 

Funnily enough, it wasn’t like that. Once they got over the fact of seeing a Dersitian and Prospitian respectively for the first time in their lifes, John couldn’t help but ask.

 

“What the hell is that thing on your face?”

 

Dave raised a shocked hand to his shades, making it seem like he was just readjusting them, nonchalantly.

 

“Without ‘em, kiddos like you, will run to their mommies crying. When you bath yourself in the blood of your enemies for too long, it taints your eyes.”

 

“What. If you bathed yourself in the blood of your enemies, I’d be talking to a boiled crab right now, not a... Mole.”

 

There were a few seconds of tense silence, betrayed by the twitch in John’s mouth, before they both started laughing.

 

“John Egbert-Harley, well mostly Egbert, heir of Prospit” He extended a hand, with an affable smile that never seemed to leave his face.

 

“Dave,” simply said the other, giving his hand a strong shake, maybe so John could notice that he was holding a warriors hand, not unknown to the blade. He didn’t seem to notice, turning his smile into a toothy grin. He was adorable.

 

Not that Dave found him adorable, of course. Nonsense.

 

Soon, they both found a common theme to talk about, how much they missed home and their sisters.

 

Putting aside the obvious differences, the two lads had a lot in common and became fast friends, finding comfort in the struggles of the other, knowing one would somehow replace the other at their household. A household they’d probably never see again.

 

“So, I’m fucked anyway, tell me how it is in that big hot rock you come from.”

 

“Dave, I can’t share any strategic advantage unless you agree to do the same.”

 

“Well, I’m sure we can reach an...” Dave lowered his glasses, revealing his red eyes, winking at John. “Understanding.”

 

“Holy Skaia, are those real!?”

 

“Nah, I stole them on my way here.”

 

“Shut up!”

 

The conversation continued like this for the whole afternoon and evening, with a familiarity that was odd between the two realms. In the middle of the night, Dave requested the presence of the other prince in his tent.

 

The one who gave John the message also gave him kind of sly, judging look that make him start thinking about what exactly-

 

Oh.

 

Oh no.

 

John was a jittery mess.

 

He got out of his tent, to breath a bit of fresh air, maybe clean his head. Fresh air always did him good.

 

The only person he had ever shared a bed with was his sister, and no matter how many butterflies seemed to inhabit his stomach when they looked at echa other, he had never “intimated” with her in the way the townsfolk implied when they talked about “spending the night together”.

 

Obviously the prince didn’t had that intention, although the stories of love and camaraderie between men when a battle was afoot were not unheard of.

 

But there was no battle! And they were both on their way to marry each other’s sisters! Plus, John wasn’t interested, he was pretty sure he didn’t swing that way, although it was pretty common, specially for boys in his age to experiment and find themselves-

 

Not if you’re a prince! And least of all with other princes!

 

Princes... Princess... Princesses... That’s a stupid word.

 

_John **focus!**_

 

Then what did _Dave_ want? And how could he reject him if it came to it? What if a war started and it was his fault-!

 

“Excuse me-”

 

“No!”

 

The poor guard seemed to have shit his pants right there. He was a Dersitian guard. Which means this tent that his traitorous feet have taken him to was... Dave’s.

 

He came in before his mind could catch up with him. 

 

“Kay John, promise me something” Dave was on him as soon as he set foot inside. He hadn’t taken off his strange tinted glasses, and John wondered if he could see at all at this time of the night. He felt kind off disappointed he couldn’t see those captivating red eyes again.

 

‘Get a grip John!’

 

“Um, eh, ah, depends?” He managed to say.

 

“I’m gonna show you something and you gotta promise me you won’t tell anybody.”

 

John thought about the possibilities. He could turn tail right now, run into the woods, become a hermit, feed solely on snails and rocks until Jade came to find him and smacked him for making her worry.

 

Or. He could face this. Like man. Like his father would have wanted.

 

“Dave.” The other prince frowned at his tone of voice, it wasn’t the answer he was expecting. “I’ve had the greatest time today. Really! I’ve never meet someone with your... Sense of humour,” Dave raised an eyebrow at this, still confused, “However, taking in account our current position and our destinies, I don’t think we should get involved with each other-“

 

“What”

 

“That doesn’t mean I don’t find you attractive! I mean, as a, as another prince in your. Age. Range. As buddies!”

 

There were two eyebrows now, Skaia be damned.

 

“You consider me attractive... As buddies.”

 

“I didn’t want to offend you!” John was about to cry now. “I just- I’m on my way to marry your sister! You’re on your way to marry mine! We’re not gonna see each other in how long so I don’t-“

 

“Dude,” although he was having a fantastic time, he was starting to take pity in the poor mumbly mess that was John Egbert, “keep your voice down. Also what the fuck are you talking about, I just wanted to show you this.”

 

Dave took a necklace out of his shit, it had a red crystal attached to it.

 

A silence followed, interrupted by a quiet “ah” uttered by John.

 

“And what is that?”

 

Dave sighed, all hope to make him swear anything lost with that “no homo” speech, so fuck it.

 

“Functionally, it’s a magic rock I use to talk to people that aren’t here. Rose herself made the spell, connecting it with the one she has with her, so we could communicate once I was in Prospit. No one else knows we have it.”

 

A beat in which John’s face went through embarrassment, confusion, surprise, and glee.

 

“I could use Rose’s to talk to Jade!”

 

“Congrats, _buddy_.” John dropped his gaze and decided to examine his boots. Good boots, good for the countryside. “I mean probably Rose would have explained it way better than me when she got to know you better, but I wanted to fast-forward.” He hided the token again.

 

“So... You can really do magic huh.”

 

“Only for really important things, like fresh apple juice.”

 

John snorted, relaxing again. He took a hand to his head and gently bowed his head, usually a sign of respect.

 

“Ok Egbert what the fuck, I’m not that hot.”

 

“Shut up, I’m just very glad you shared this secret with me. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

 

“You better.” Answered Dave, avoiding looking him in the eye, even if John had no way to know. “Now get out of my tent before I decide to kidnap you and ask for a reward to your sister.”

 

“The only one who’d want me back!” John said, already turning towards the exit.

 

“Sure. Hey about that thing earlier.”

 

John bit his lip, slowly turning his head, a hand already on the door of the tent.

 

Dave lowered his shades.

 

“Gay.”

 

John decided to run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we seem off to a good start! I love procrastinating other things!  
> No beta read we die like morons
> 
> Edit- Now betaed. Jesus christ why no one told me


	3. Heiress Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John finally makes it to Derse. There's a lot of new people he has to meet. His future wife among them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is a bit longer. Enjoy

The rest of the trip happened without a hitch, going deeper into Derse territory, with its tall trees, its air full of mosquitoes, and the lack of sun in the sky.

 

John tried not to feel intimidated by the stone walls as they approached the city. The castle itself was made from the same dark stone the dersitian favored for anything, so different from his own back at him, where his home was made from wood and clay.

 

Once in the throne room, he found himself with the regents of Derse, that seemed as if they were made by the same stone as their city, both serious and so thin his father would have complained about them being “a sad sack of bones”. He would have laughed afterwards too, saying he could probably pick up both of them without breaking a sweat.

 

He missed him very much.

 

Next to them, was a young lady who must be Dave’s sister. Both were incredibly similar, white hair and all, but she wasn’t wearing those weird “shades” as Dave called them, thank Skaia.

 

She was trying to look as stoic as her parents but anyone who paid close attention could tell how bored she was, almost like she was channeling that energy on purpose.

 

John raised up a hand and waved with a shy smile on his face. She blinked after a couple of second and raised her hand to what could have been called a wave by a very positive man.

 

But John was determined to be that man.

 

After all, if anything, she was the only gate available to talking to Jade again.

 

Formalities were exchanged as quickly as possible, so the owners of the place could kick the foreigners back to their kingdom and these foreigners could go back home, because right now they felt as comfortable here as a lost lamb in a dark cave full of wolves.

 

Even if that meant hurry goodbyes to John and the prospect of leaving him behind.

 

He had decided to spent this time close to the thrones, not daring to sit yet, sneaking glances at the princess (“Rose, her name is Rose”) to try and catch something familiar in his… New home.

 

As soon as the ceremony was over, Rose left the room without a word towards her parents or her new fiance.

 

“Oh Johnie, dearest, you mustn’t worry about her. The farewell to her brother are still quite… Recent. Please forgive her,” she turned towards one of the maids that filled the hallway. “Casey! Would you be so kind to show John the palace? I’m sure you can handle that”

 

John turned towards the young woman in servant attire, carefully bottling up his own emotions about her sister. He now had to add Dave to the whole “let’s not think about it for as long as we can and everything will be fine!” group.

 

Also did he notice a bit of passive-aggressiveness from the queen or was that just his imagination?

 

“Of course your majesty.” She made eye contact with John, earning a little jump from him. He was carefully rearranging his insides, jeez!

 

The woman started walking without waiting for him, making him kind of rush down the stairs and into one of the hallways people keep pouring in and out.

 

“Hey!” He called. She stopped in her tracks, sending a careful glance his way. John smiled, showing the trademark teeth of the Prospit royal family. “Name’s John. Although I guess you already knew that. But how could we civilized if we didn’t introduce ourselves to people?”

 

He extended a hand, keeping his smile in place. Her eyes travelled from his hand to his face before smiling shyly and shaking it lightly.

 

“Casey Salamander. It is a pleasure, your majesty.” He pulled a face.

 

“Oh no, majesty is my dad, I’m just their son,” he was used to say that back at home and felt weirdly reassured by it, “just John is fun, really.”

 

Casey smiled again, a bit more confident this time.

 

“John, then. We have a castle to see so if you would…”

 

With that, they started walking again, and as she showed him the gardens, the kitchens, and other places he may find useful, John couldn’t help but notice that Casey was a brunette, something unusual among so many blonde heads. He couldn’t help but ask.

 

“Actually,” she answered with a grimace, “I’m not from Derse. I belong to its jurisdiction but-“

 

“Ah that was the queen-“ He shut up before he could say something that could be understood as high treason or whatever. He had been here for only a day, jeez! Luckily, Casey continued his thought.

 

“That’s why the queen isn’t… Completely comfortable with me yet. But I’m sure I could make up with my hard work and my dedication! I didn’t mean to-!”

 

“Oh no, it’s fine” He raised his hands in a placating fashion, with a weak smile. Casey was from one of the frontier villages, the ones at the border that they had crossed on their way to Derse. They were the ones that suffered most from the rivality, throwing them around like they were second handed citizens. There’s not much you can do against prejudice, John thought, even from his position of power.

 

They entered a spacious room, with tall walls covered in mirrors (something John had barely seen in Prospit but here seemed to be everywhere), which made it seem like the room was endless. It almost stole his breath way. Until he notices the two figures in the middle of it.

 

Both had their swords out, at a standstill, a silver x between the two combatants.

 

One of them was Rose.

 

John took a step forward, but noticed Casey’s hand, stopping him. She was relaxed so he let go of some tension he had immediately picked up. It came back when he heard the swords clashing, getting his attention back to the fight.

 

Rose stopped and reflected with a velocity he had never seen him in his home. He himself was more of a heavy hitter than a fast or flashy one, so she her move with the elegance and precision of a predator.

 

It was just… Intriguing. The idea that she could beat him easily before he even had time to pull out his hammer was… A rush.

 

He catched up soon. This wasn’t an attempt on her life. He noticed the tips were blunt and there was no sharpness to their blades. This was a practice duel. One she was winning.

 

The other fighter was skilled too, but he kept losing ground.

 

“You’re distracted, Viceroy.” Said Rose, high enough it could reach their ears.

 

“I didn’t know we’d have an audience, your majesty.” Said the man, struggling to get the words out. John grimaced. It’s not our fault you got your ass kicked, young lad!

 

“Irrelevant. If anything, you must raise up in the presence of curious eyes.” She let her sword fall, turning her back on her adversary, bored from the fight. She started walking towards an arms stand that was near one of the mirrors.

 

That’s when Viceroy attacked.

 

Before the choked scream of alarm could leave John’s throat, Rose had already turned, her blade at the ready, aimed perfectly to stop Viceroy’s attack and, with a pirouette, disarm him completely.

 

The sword went flying and landed at mere meters of John’s feet.

 

“I see you’re learning” She said as if they were continuing a previous conversation and nothing had happened, not a hair out of place.

 

“Yes, your majesty.”

 

“Keep referring to me in the fashion you to do to my mother and the next time, the sword won’t be the only thing you’ll miss.”

 

Both men in the room gulped at the icy stare of the princess.

 

Was it crazy to say that despite what he had just saw, he wanted to be the one measuring against her?

 

As if she had felt that thought, she turned to acknowledge him, with vague interest.

 

“John”

 

“Oh, yes!”

 

Her lips tensed, almost like she was trying very hard not to smile. John didn’t notice this, busy as he was scolding himself for almost shouting out “Here!” like he did on rollcall with the royal teacher.

 

Why did she did rollcall anyway?! There was two of them!

 

“I apologize for I left the room earlier. I never meant to offend you.”

 

“Oh it’s fine, you had… Places to be.” He examined the brown man who was next to her.

 

“I appreciate your understanding. Sadly, my fence lessons aren’t as high priority as all my other royal duties.”

 

Of course, the servants knew that the princess had been fighting almost non-stop, her own way of dealing with her brother’s parting. What worried them, though, was that she didn’t fight with rage or recklessly. She was even more precise, even more vicious. She fought without mercy.

 

“Viceroy, I think your sister’s services are no longer necessary. You can leave us now.”

 

Rose walked to the stand, Vicery bowing at her back. Casey waved briefly at John and left with her brother. Now, next to the other, one could see the resemblance. They were clearly both from the frontiers.

 

John picked up the sword from his feet and carried it to the stand.

 

“So fencing, huh? That’s cool. I never had much chance to practice. The woman that tried to teach me said I had nor the eye or the patience for it.” He said, with a smile that seemed to have no end.

 

“Would you mind coming with me to our room? If your tour is over of course.”

 

He opened his mouth to say that she had dismissed his tour guide, but decided to close his mouth and nod. _Our_ room.

 

The room in question was spacious but stark, in contrast with the rest of the castle. There were some random piece clothing resembling a pile in a corner of the room, next to a library that covered half of the wall. The other side of the room was the one that give it a stark feeling. It felt like it had been cleaned up hastily. John let out a sigh when he saw that there two beds.

 

“We used to share this room, despite our caregivers opinions. You have been designated to stay till the wedding and they move us to… Another room.”

 

‘Oh’ he thought with an inner cringe. That’s why that side was so empty. It used to belong to Dave. He briefly wondered if he had now his room, stepping into the John shaped hole he had left back at home.

 

No, he couldn’t think of it as home. Not anymore.

 

He hoped Jade made him feel safe. He felt a chill go down his spine at that.

 

"Before anything else however, we must discuss something of utter importance for our future coexistence." She turned towards him, her back turned towards the only window in the room, the light source making the form of her silhouette sharper. "If you, for any reason, get a lover, I shall be informed of this at once. I will not tolerate gossip, however. If they undermine my power in any way, I would expect of you to cut ties and they'd be expelled from the castle, effect immediately."

 

"A- a lover?! What?! I'm- I'm not- I'm not taking any lovers, for Skaia's sake!" John could feel the heat making itself obvious in his cheeks. He couldn’t hold her gaze. “I- I don’t think I’m ready for that anyway.”

 

There was a silence for a couple of seconds, he could feel her agitated energy from here, but he didn’t know what she wanted him to do! Eventually, the turmoil that he could feel coming from her vanished into a defeated sigh.

 

She moved towards the closest bed, sitting down.

 

“I am aware of my duty, no, _our_ duty to produce an heir to the throne, however, until I’m ready, I won’t consent to a-“

 

“No, no no! No! I don’t-! I don’t want any of that” With a frustrated groan, John went to the other bed in the room ( _Dave’s bed, his bed)_ and let himself flop under Rose’s inquisitive gaze.

 

“It’s my first day! And you expect to just! Fuck! Who do you think I am!”

 

The tension in the room was suspended for a second, when both of them realised what exactly he had said ( _you expect me to just fuck_ ) and Rose let herself for the first time since his brother left. She quickly covered her mouth with a hand, but it couldn’t be stopped now.

John looked at her, with confusion at first, then he felt offended and finally gave in and started chuckling with her.

 

“Oh, Many Angled Ones, I just-“ she let the giggles go with a sigh. “I thought you weren’t wasting time, it being your fist day and all.”

 

“What, with whom-? Casey? Oh, no, gross, no, she was just showing me around!” Rose decided to store this information under Another Taunt of my Mother in our Endless Game, before John added, “How old is she, anyway? Thirteen?”

 

“Well, most men would say she’s at her peak.”

 

“Well, most men are horrible people.”

 

Rose considered this, alongside the chuckle the prospitian had managed to pull out of her in their first day together. The moment she laid down and turned to study his face, curious about him in a way that completely new to her previous plotting, John turned away from her.

 

“And we’re going to marry. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

 

Ah. Indeed.

 

She corrected her posture, staring up at the ceiling instead of at her side.

 

"The offer still stands. I just want absolute communication between us."

 

"I don't think I'll take it but, thanks."

 

"You're welcome, John."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If for whatever reason, you have read the Spanish version (why oh why) you'd notice things are a bit different now. I'm afraid we're taking this tour now. Things are gonna keep changing. All the time. Goddamn.
> 
> Anyway. Thank you, as always for reading, you may have been following this for years now which is fucking impressive. Thank you for putting up with me

**Author's Note:**

> Someone remind me to proofread this when it's not Christmas thank you for understanding


End file.
